Lines and Dots

Lines and Dots - Episode 31 (Greatness)

A tricky topic this week as Maurice and Chris attempt to find a recipe for greatness in the worlds of culture and politics. Exploring 'battlefield experience' with Alexander the Great, longevity, with Handel's Messiah, intelligence and scale of ambition with Tolkien and tact and sensitivity of approach with John Williams - it's clear that there is no one, surefire path! All of this while attempting to demonstrate prowess in that greatest of all sports, Lawn Bowls.
First recorded Thursday 27th March 2025.

Lines and Dots - Episode 30 (What Am I Missing?)

From Terry Pratchett and Jane Eyre to Bob Dylan and Adele - Maurice and Chris pelaton-spin their way through a smorgasbord of cultural giants that they desperately want to like ... but just don't. It's a question of things having everything they need to be fantastuc and yet, for some reason, not appealing ... 
I lied. Chris does not desperately want to like Adele and I have a feeling that comes across.. 
First Recorded on 27th March 2025

Lines and Dots - Episode 29 (Simple's the Best)

This week, Chris and Maurice take on the difficult challenge of finding pieces of text and music that are so very straightforward one could almost imagine having written them oneself. It soon emerges, however - during an excellent match of noughts and crosses - that such things are hard to find and that such cultural artefacts as a Bach Prelude, a nine-line poem by Frost, haiku poetry and a well-known nursery rhyme are actually fare more brilliant and complex than one would, at first, imagine!
First recorded on 13th March 2024.

Lines and Dots - Episode 28 (Fairytales)

From the terrifying illustrations of the ladybord books of our youth to the animated features of today, fairytales not only inspire and direct children but also become valuable artefacts of the cultures who created them.
Today's discussion looks at the literary works of the Brothers Grimm as well as Hans Christien Anderson and then takes in the extraordinary and evocative musical compositions of Schubert and Delius.
First recorded on 27th February 2025.

Lines and Dots - Episode 27 (Sponteneity)

In keeping with this week's theme, Chris and Maurice meet for an in-person version of the podcast, broadcast from the shed in Maurice's back garden.
Exploring the differences between extemporisation and improvisation, the discussion takes in a Jazz score by Miles Davis, some phenomenal organ work, reflections by Wordsworth and Chief Joseph's chilling 'speech of surrender'! There is also a thrilling game of dominos ...
First recorded on 21st March 2025.
  

Lines and Dots - Episode 26 (Reverse)

Backwards going with obsession humanity's explore Maurice and Chris episode, in this. 
From the fugey brilliance of Bach to the experimental music of Paul Simon in Graceland and from clever palindromic poems to the curious case of Benjamin Button we consider what it is about this sort of symmetry that the race seems to find so very satisfying.
We forgot about Valentine's day.
 
First Recorded on 14th February 2025.

Lines and Dots - Episode 25 (Undervalued)

With Chris unusually - and, on the basis of this, uniquely - in the driving seat for this episode as Maurice battles a croaky throat, the topic for our synchronised swimmers is 'undervalued'. 
This highly subjective topic takes us from Patrick Appleford's 'Living Lord' through to Shirley Jackson's 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle' by way of obscure biographies of composers and the outer orbits of Holst's Planets - we also consider the difference between undervalued and underrated!
 
First recorded 6th February 2025.

Lines and Dots - Episode 24 (What a Difference a Day Makes)

To celebrate the fact that 24 hours of Lines and Dots are now available for download, Maurice and Chris embark on a terrifying le mans (mainly because Maurice doesn't drive) of culture.
 
From the extraordinary compositional power of Hindemith and Herodotus' account of the battle of Marathon through to Carol Ann Duffy's 'The Christmas Truce' and that wonderful psychotropic work 'A Day in the Life' by the beatles, we explore the impact of this unit of time on music and words throughout history...
 
First recorded on 30th January 2025.

Lines and Dots - Episode 23 (Buildings)

Buildings and human designs for them are a remarkable expression of creativity and also share a remarkable creative space with music and literature. In this week's episode, Maurice and Chris explore Xeankis' Metastasis, the writings of Kepler, Solomon's Temple and Chris takes a hatchet to Ed Sheeran's 'Castle on the Hill'.
This is all acheived while engaging in some very impressive parkour.
 
First recorded 23rd of January 2025.

Lines and Dots - Episode 22 (Revolutionary Conflict)

In this episode, Chris and Maurice play a risky game as they consider the power of conflict in creating revolutionary concepts in music and text. From the powerful words of Homer and Oliver Cromwell to contrasting compositions by Berlioz and Britten (not to mention tips for holidaying in Rome) we look at the ways that humanity expresses its response to warfare and loss.
 
First recorded on 16th January 2025.